<p>How does Lawrenceville compare to other top boarding schools like Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss? Are they all in the same top category for instance? What are some common thoughts about Lawrenceville, like how are the kids, is it competitive, etc. Any comments and 2 cents would be much appreciated?</p>
<p>I don’t want to say how I am familiar with lawerenceville but I am familiar. I know a lot of kids who attend and they are nice. The dining hall however is strictly mediocre. The campus/athletic facility is beautiful and the dorms are all great. Lawerenceville is just an all around nice place</p>
<p>Have no fear, absolutely top tier!</p>
<p>Our matriculation stats are slightly better than that of Hotchkiss, and our average SAT scores are higher than Hotchkiss’ and on par with those of Exeter and Andover. Go figure.</p>
<p>Your question regarding “common thoughts” about Lawrenceville is too broad. Be more specific and I’ll try my best to help.</p>
<p>I don’t want to insult you, converge12, but L’ville Matriculation Stats are slightly skewed because of its proximity to Princeton. Generally speaking though, they are equal in terms of the education received after attending.</p>
<p>If you have any questions about Hotchkiss, I’d be happy to help!</p>
<p>@prepschoolplease who cares why kids get into college or where they go? Isn’t going to a school like lville getting the best education for yourself?</p>
<p>@prepschool: yes, I agree that both offer equal quality of education. I do feel Hotchkiss leans less toward the humanities than Lawrenceville and is, therefore, more “well rounded” when it comes to the math/science vs humanities dichotomy. I apologize if my statement about Hotchkiss comes across as cavalier and derogatory.</p>
<p>To rectify myself, I do not advise splitting hair over meaningless differences of 4-5% IVY/strong school matriculation rates. Being close to Princeton is just one of our little perks, just as being in New England and having an initial that can help make up a cool-sounding acronym are some of yours!</p>
<p>A few observations:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Andover and Exeter are generally regarded as the top American prep schools among the sliver of the American and international population that knows or cares about rankings. </p></li>
<li><p>Some people would add SPS to this top tier.</p></li>
<li><p>Lawrenceville is an excellent school. More importantly, it may be the best prep school for you.</p></li>
<li><p>Average SAT scores should not play an important role in prep school evaluation since individuals, not groups, take the SAT.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t be blinded by matriculation stats. While these stats may seem impressive, attending a top boarding school – even Andover, Exeter, or SPS – often lessens a student’s admission chances to HYPSM and other elite colleges.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>SPS, Andover, and Exeter are incontrovertibly THE prominent BS triumvirate (even though SPS, my favorite of the three, does lack the international name recognition of the Phillips brothers).</p>
<p>But this does not mean they befit everyone. Go to a prep school which you think you will thrive at. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Hotchkiss, SPS, or Middlesex student because all three are equally familiar to and respected by the colleges to which you will be applying.</p>
<p>I agree with converge, though I must say on Wall Street, the Hotchkiss name goes farthest.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Converge, are many of the kids snobby? What are the dorms like? thanks again!</p>
<p>Also, I feel like a “name” going further on wall street is a little far-fetched, it would obviously come down to the person first before someone judges what prep school they went to…</p>
<p>At Lawrenceville, freshmen live together, then get allocated to Houses as sophomores and juniors, then live their senior year together in the Upper House. </p>
<p>Boys’ dorms are substantially better than girls’ dorms in terms of interior design, space, and tradition. Most boys get singles, whereas girls are more often than not put in doubles and triples. I don’t think our dorms possess any special features (besides the House system), but the facilities should be adequate for your daily entertainment (pool tables, TVs/communal video games if you’re lucky to have a lax House master, kitchens, couches, soccer tables, ping pong tables, etc). Showers are not communal, fortunately–there are 2 stalls with curtains per bathroom. </p>
<p>I think there are as many snobs as you should find at any single elite prep school. Of course, there are rich kids and stuck up kids, but the stuck up ones usually only hang out with their select group of friends and generally don’t go out of their way to flaunt, and when they interact with other kids, they do it with proper courtesy. That’s why having 200+ kids per class is expedient; you can always avoid those you don’t like to easily find a more identifiable group of kids to hang out with. However, I would say most kids here are/try to be friendly even to those they don’t know. But I’m a bit of a cynic, so maybe I’m understating the actual niceness of Lawrentians…</p>
<p>Hotchkiss is more close knit that E/A or L’ville . Keep in mind that also comes with the downside that everyone knows everyone on campus.</p>
<p>When it comes to prep school (especially a top tier one) you can expect the students to be of a certain caliber. About the name on wall street thing, I know many important companies and families that would NOT have risen to prominence without the support (i.e. monetary donations. LOL) of their fellow alumni. I highly encourage you to look at our alumni list.</p>
<p>What they said. Lawrenceville, Hotchkiss, Andover, Choate, Exeter, Groton, and a few other schools regard one another as peer schools.</p>
<p>Hi everyone out there. Just a quick question on the AP classes offered in Lawrenceville. I understand that top tier BS usually don’t regard AP highly as their classes are often comparable to college levels. However, my relatives who live in NJ, being typical Asian parents, insisted that the number and quality of AP classes matter greatly. Therefore, could anyone give me some idea about L’ville’s AP offerings? @Converge12. Many thanks!</p>
<p>Check our course catalog. Courses that are labeled “Honors” = more or less AP courses.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lawrenceville.org/data/files/gallery/ContentGallery/Course_Catalog_for_20132014.pdf[/url]”>http://www.lawrenceville.org/data/files/gallery/ContentGallery/Course_Catalog_for_20132014.pdf</a></p>
<p>Skyworker, you should explain to your parents that many bs kids take AP exams, it’s just that the course isn’t specifically labeled as being an AP course. In general, boarding schools don’t want to have to “teach to the test” (unless it’s a subject within little leeway in what gets taught anyway, like calculus), but the classes still end up preparing students well to take the corresponding AP exams.</p>
<p>The thing is, you will have to self-study a few topics for the AP exams because we’re likely to approach the courses with a “depth over breadth” psychology.</p>
<p>Thanks Soxmom and Converge!</p>